Thoughts & Words
by daftheed
Summary: The day after the thaw, Elsa and Anna try to reconnect and talk to each other. But time has left work to be done from both of them. Angst reigns. Their pain is strong, but can it be shared? The Sequel to 'The Door' but that isn't required reading.
1. Hesitation

**Italics are the thoughts of characters.**

Elsa and Anna sat down, the hour shaded. The lounge was empty and most of the candles extinguished save for the ones near their seats. From this point, they had a view of the sea that encompassed three sides of the castle.

Despite muffled sounds through walls and Anna eating chocolate, no sound was made.

Feeling slightly tensed, Elsa forced the words forward. "You shouldn't eat that this late, you know"

"This is when I get peckish"

Elsa could see it, the perceptible gleam in Anna's eyes as her sister spoke.

_Don't embarrass yourself. Play it calm._

Anna shifted in her chair, the silence bothering her. Elsa did not notice. But she was bothered by it too. She was so used to it, but now it suddenly felt wrong to be so.

Second by second. Daydream merging into daydream. Then Elsa suddenly became aware of herself and felt guilty for saying nothing. The guilt grew then morphed and she was off on another daydream.

She never meant it. She just never assumed it was a problem before. Maybe it was her tiredness. Maybe it was what she had just professed to her parents graves.

"Elsa, look, maybe tonight's not the best time"

Elsa's focus stunted then the guilt returned. This thing, whatever it was, had never left her.

"No I just...I'm not good with words...as if...what to say is just..."

Anna reached over and grabbed Elsa's gloved hand. The very slightly perceptible flinch in Elsa's arm only tightened Anna's grip.

"Elsa, what is it that's bothering you?"

"I just...don't know. Sometimes I just feel amazing and like I can accomplish heaven and earth and then...I can't...I'm sorry I don't know"

Elsa was nearly choking. Anna's hand released hers.

_I know how I feel. It's been like this for so long but...I can't...say it. Why can't I say it?"_

It was as if her voice was stolen from her. Every thought towards words was lost in the pink blob behind her now wet eyes. And it was crucifying to see Anna so lost as to what to do.

_She just wants to help._

"Elsa"

The queen's mind arrived back in the room.

_I did it again. Stop it!_

Anna tentatively spoke: "How about I start and then you say something when you feel ready?"

Elsa could only nod, both pained and grateful she didn't need to speak.

"Well after you left to do...stuff I had a meeting with the castles staff ministry people. They weren't too pleased I didn't know their names after I said something to Gerda so I think one of them doesn't like me now. But it's not as if I see them all the time."

Elsa intently listened as best she could. Work was admittedly the last thought that had come to her. It now had her attention.

"They wanted to know what would be done to appeal to the people after you're..." Anna packed her words so carefully..."snowstorm".

Well, she tried.

"And then they went on and on about stuff like profits and business but I wanted to know if anyone had sent in mail. Y'know like, just regular folks?" Her tone reached inquisition.

Elsa acknowledged her last point.

"So they said yeah and I thought; What if we replied to them? It makes sense. The people down there get some answers and we can undo some of the damage?"

Anna suddenly picked out a forgotten point.

"I actually sort of had to run that by you?" Anna fingers curled, uncertain what she feared more, her sister's response or her possible silence.

Elsa raised her head, her royal posture suddenly showing. She felt a subconscious math of responses circle her lips. She was thinking deeply. Keeping free thoughts away.

"That's fine." But she could sense Anna's heaving mentally over what she'd done outside Elsa's presence.

"Really Anna, I like it. Did they say how many letters there are addressed to us?"

Anna smiled; glad to have her speaking, even if it was about something boring.

"A thousand and something. Most of them are just addressed to Hans or the castle staff" Anna said.

Elsa took breathe.

"I think we should focus on the ones that show concern for families and children. And any of the sick. It's no use going through every one. They'll be another winter by then"

But Anna was more taken by how Elsa spoke.

She could see the machine behind Elsa at work. The even tone. The way her eyes and words walked through her speech like she was a quill without a hand.

_Why do they care so much about formality? Who really cares? _Anna thought.

"Anything else I should know?" Elsa queried.

"Not that I can remember."

Elsa felt calmer, but she wasn't sure why. The surrealness of their situation was beginning to unnerve her.

Anna began to yawn organically. She would soon be sleepy.

_Of course right as I get through to her. Through letters but still._

"Tired?"

"He he, just a little" Anna tittered.

Elsa seemed to look around the room for a brief second.

She forced their eyes to meet, instantly terrified. No warning occurred to either.

"I'm going to go to bed now" And with that the Queen sheepishly stood up and walked towards the far door, still in Anna's sightline. Anna could almost hear the strain in Elsa's body. She was keeping so much at bay.

"Elsa, promise me you won't work into the night" Anna took her turn to keep the concern off her face, a skill she had never developed.

Elsa's eyes flickered and shifted, as if under great light, yet the doorway was mostly dark. Her heart was unnaturally fast.

_This is so stressful, _Elsa mused.

"I can't promise that" She crackled. Anna noted her voice was unusually monotone.

Before Anna could speak, Elsa turned and closed the door behind her. The spare looked for a long time at the space where her elder had been.

"Oh Elsa, what is it you are keeping in that head? I won't quit on you."

_She never seemed much of talker. This wasn't a great idea_

"Whatever it takes we'll do it. We are sisters." She announced to the closed door.

_But it looks like we need some time. _

Anna thought of herself for a moment. Could she deal with this? She could feel herself getting tired at the thought. Thinking of herself wasn't a habit. Thinking deeply wasn't an everyday habit. Her lack of most habits was her one consistent habit.

But she had been brash before, thinking of herself. Opened her mouth when she shouldn't have. The coronation. Thinking of the trouble that could have been avoided had Anna held herself back made the young heir droop physically with guilt.

She hugged herself.

_Help her and then help yourself. You have Kristoff. She only has you. We've both been alone too long to go back to how it was. _

Behind her, the clock struck the eleventh hour and began to strike.

Anna doused the candles and headed for the door.

_It will be ok._

**Authors Notes:**

**Aha! A sequel? Yes, it seems so. I should make apparent that I think this tale exists quite well regardless of 'The Door', my other story. But this can function as a sequel if someone has read The Door beforehand.**

**This takes place the day after the films events. My one-shot 'The Truth' takes place just an hour before this chapter begins. **

**I hope to take a different approach this time. Having a computer now helps too. New chapters ahead!**

**Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Review if you wish.**


	2. Wandering & Wondering

**The next chapter. These chapters will be uploaded about once weekly, though depending on time it has the possibility of becoming quicker if my luck holds out.**

**Review if you wish, thank you for reading.**

**Enjoy. **

Anna had always been a wanderer. The days offered so many chances for noise and chat. Anna thrived in such life. But even she liked to wander alone occasionally. But never for too long. It kept her thoughts from becoming too blunt. Doing it at night in the isolated years was more out of convenience than anything else. It was one of her few deliberate habits.

Over walking for years around the castle she had often wondered what went on in Elsa's room. Eventually it became a route of thought and feet that she avoided, as she resigned herself to fewer and fewer visits to the seemingly innocent door-handled wood.

It all worked to keep her feeling alert. Still or walking, Anna's mind wandered very easily, yet the second such an iron was struck, she could monologue over just about anything to anyone. She was a helpless chatterer, as Gerda had put it. But she found she could finish her talks speedily enough. She always aimed to please.

When it came to things such as books, studying, she had struggled. Her parents had soon realised Anna's easy distractedness was the cause. Deprived of all outlets while she studied, Anna could learn. But this only served to grow her need to be outgoing. When she was younger, she even attempted to escape the castle through the gardens more than once, driven mad by the boredom and silence. But she never was able to avoid the sense of helplessness as the years wore on.

Two things bothered her. Her lack of central purpose, an ambition, which hurt. But it was a bruise compared to the open wound where Elsa had used to be.

Being the spare, she was given only the basics of ruling and communication through speeches. Everything else she learned was courtesy, appearances sake, and other kinds of boredom. To Anna it was all just different ways of reminding her of her life position at birth. She wasn't jealous of Elsa. But she felt peculiarly directionless. Her locked away soul yearned to explore and by age ten she knew the castle by the inch. All except Elsa's room and her study.

The second, her worry for Elsa. For the first three years she had simply accepted it was an illness that kept her locked away. A contagious one. The worry didn't ease but nor did it grow. It was when she was 9 she began to question this. Wondering why her sister had isolated herself to start with. She had fought off the urge to open the door, certain that Elsa would come out when she was ready, cured. But Anna's impatience and the silence that followed every word she uttered through the door drove her to decide to meet her sister, in or out of the room.

She had just grown tall enough to reach the doors handle. This she knew would come in handy. As soon as breakfast had finished on the quietest morning, the nine year old bolted out of the dining room and made the fast track to Elsa's room. She ran past servants carrying a desk and what appeared to be a small clock. Not thinking in multiples, she kept moving. She made it there without breaking even a sweat.

The door gave way a little too easily. Anna suddenly felt guilty for being so impulsive. The lack of a sister in the room took her mind over.

_Where is she? Where where where? _

Her eyes darted violently over the room. She quickly took in how cold it was. That was worrying. Her mind was frantic, chasing every last detail but getting nowhere. Hearing footsteps too large to be Elsa's, Anna ran for cover, returning to her own room, past the triangular window and the portrait room uncertain what she was trying to do. She had unknowingly missed the scar tissue in the doors side facing where Elsa usually was. Missed the discoloured paint. Missed its damp exterior. And noticing these details would have made her next mental conundrum even more pressing.

_Mama, I have some questions for you..._

**Post chapter 1**

As she tip toed towards the study she could feel a chill in the air. But it felt smooth. Strong. Pursuing Elsa hadn't been her first idea, but it was the strongest after her mind refused to find sleep. Anna pondered over this chill as she and the oak wood door met. It felt aged yet fresh.

_I never saw her in here before...everything. _

"Elsa?"

Anna stood outside her sister's study. The door faced her with little humanity. Anna was strongly considering turning the handle herself.

_If the past is anything to go by, it's the best option. She did say she wished I'd opened it in the past. If only she'd been there then._

Anna shifted left and right, her feet practically dancing. She could see the light underneath the door, just.

Anna had migrated to the study when she had noticed her sisters room unoccupied. In fact, the recently replaced door there was ajar; something Anna knew by instinct was not a habit of Elsa's, not even a new one.

The air was still surprisingly cool to feel, almost soothing. Anna didn't like it.

For a moment, she found herself at a loss of what to do. She couldn't leave knowing Elsa as she now did. It would be irresponsible and her sister's awkwardness at the evening dinner only reaffirmed this.

Trying the door, she saw it was locked, but not very tightly. The bolt was very loose and the door itself looked as if a decent nudge was all it needed. It had been part of the building for many more centuries than other rooms had been. Anna briefly remembered something about the wars of the past and why the palace was built on water.

The memories swam away.

_Think Anna. What would she do? Probably freeze it open. _

_Can people do that?_

Anna shook her head, returning her attention

_Maybe it just needs...a little tough love._

Anna quickly listened through the gap between wall and door. She heard nothing but the gentle long gasp of air as it filtered through the crack.

After thinking as much as she could over alternatives, Anna eventually decided to kick the door open. But as she pushed herself off of its croaking mass, another thought struck her. To just push it forcefully.

In seconds, she did just this with a touch of power in her elbow and found the door oddly compliant. The door opened with barely a sound except for the lock retracting carelessly away, in need of repair. The scene that greeted Anna was not the one she hoped. A desk faced from the right towards the left side wall, with paper and half finished books around it. Elsa was there, seated unnaturally upright. Her eyes were closed.

_She has the whole desk in front of her, but she sleeps like this?_

Elsa even looked postured despite being asleep. Her complete lack of a snore struck Anna as cute for a brief moment. It was nice to learn these little things.

Her concern turned to the mess. Looking to a glass of water, she could see her sisters hand flopped near it. It had ice in it, but it looked liquid.

Anna deduced she had frozen the water and then it had begun to melt. The presence of the gloves, off her hands but on the table, told Anna this happened some time ago. It had been over 4 hours since Elsa had left their meal.

_She must have put them on when she did that. _Anna remembered the doors lock.

_She would have had the gloves on to lock it._

_So when did she take them off?_

She looked to her papers. They were obviously previously in some semblance of order. Deciding to allow her sisters sleep, Anna gathered the papers quietly and put them in an order as she picked them up, placing them neatly on the desks center. She noticed the papers were crumpled at their edges differently.

_Ah. She took them off again because she was tired. She locked the door so she wouldn't have her ice spread._

The lack of ice around the room explained this had worked.

_It made her feel safe._

Anna looked to her sisters eyelids. She could still see a strain, like her eyes were still reading through them. But Anna noticed peacefulness in her visage. Her jaw and cheeks looked relaxed. The queen looked...content. Anna felt a string taut with sympathy tug at her. To see someone so full of worry look so rested, it was almost tear jerking.

_At least you find peace in sleep. _

She thought this despite the lack of comfort Elsa's posture must have brought.

_Well, I won't dare move you. But I can't leave you just like this._

Time was against Anna, as the candle on the corner of the desk was nearly extinguished. Anna decided not to light another, as Elsa would have done so herself had she wished it so.

Grasping her sister's cape, she gently pushed Elsa to lean her back on her chair, cradling the Queens head. The purple cloth, soft as freshly silken snow, was draped over the now better positioned queen.

Anna didn't want to leave, wishing to spend a little more time in Elsa's solitude.

Deciding her brain only clouded things; Anna spoke, at a whisper, at herself as well as Elsa.

"Maybe I could try and understand it. I'm no good at being alone. I was alone a long time but I was freer than you. And I don't want you to be that alone again."

The lack of a reply kicked in and Anna rose to leave.

_We'll figure you out, Elsa. Now sleep._

_Get the sleep you deserve._

The younger yawned as the door moved closed behind her.

_And I'll get the sleep I need._


	3. Communication

Elsa and Kristoff sat in the dining room. The afternoon was turning to evening in a haze of colour. The room was cold however. This inconsistency was not lost on the seated monarch, but she hoped this was lost on the stiff-necked Ice Harvester.

_Lets hope this goes well. Considering…_

She noticed her left hand twitch rhythmically.

Kristoff knew as soon as he was 'summoned' alone that it was for something private. Something Anna couldn't know about. Or at least not yet.

It bothered Kristoff, but a different part of him didn't know why.

The queen sat reposed, her eyes staring at various places around the room.

Kristoff felt out of place, but relaxed slightly once they had been left alone. He was unfamiliar with his position here. His brain was discharging much energy towards figuring out what the protocol was.

"Kristoff, I think we are a little alike" Elsa spoke with obvious register.

Kristoff straightened up visibly.

_What does she mean?_

"In what regard, your majesty?" His reply was timid, born of a little boy dangerously carving ice. To talk to what was in part an embodiment of ice didn't make it any easier.

Elsa wanted to correct him on her pronoun, as that was a greeting she was tired of after the morning she had. But she felt keenly observed, as if a theatre audience were watching her. So she spoke what came to mind, determined to read through her lines as fast as possible.

"We both have an interesting approach to people"

She cringed internally, feeling in all respects like a desperate fool.

_You aren't being very clear._

She dared to look at his face for a moment, and then scan away to some other place. She wasn't so good with faces, eyes especially. She found nothing interesting, but plenty to consider in them. Plenty to fear also. Eyes distinctly bothered her.

Kristoff said nothing, offhandedly assuming the Monarch would know what she had to say.

Clearing her throat more noticeably than she would have liked, Elsa continued.

Well, kept going at any rate.

"From what I have been informed, you have lived a relatively solitary life, have you not?" She asked, looking slightly too inquisitive.

_That was rude of you. How wise this is becoming. _

Elsa looked directly at him, ignoring the rising unsteadiness in her gut for a few seconds. It was taking everything to avoid leaving the room at a brisk pace. Her hands were barely kept still by her nervous system. Without her input, they decided to fold.

Kristoff replied evenly, seeing no need to dance in his words.

"Yeah, I did. Me and Sven. I learned how to live off the land from the ice-harvesters and I have people I would pay to let me rest for the night in their lodgings."

He paused, disliking the absolute formality that was choking his speech.

"But I never got too involved with others."

He stopped himself from saying more, each word giving him a sense of stealing from the Queens time to talk.

Elsa felt the opposite, wishing he had said more. She fiddled with her cup, forcing herself to speak. She waited and waited but found she had to talk.

The only thing worse than an awkward silence was an endless one.

"Why did you not get...involved with other people?"

Both Elsa and Kristoff were by now sensing the others discomfort. But Elsa did not know how to seem caring. She did care, as he had done her no wrong, but she didn't know how to show it. Her over developed sense of panic was keeping her from saying too much. It was as if someone pressed on her head whenever she thought too deeply on the subject.

She wanted Kristoff to be comfortable to talk, but seemed to be failing by her own observation.

Kristoff was trapped between two assumptions and it did not take him long to realise that the fact he had to assume anything was scaring him a little. He did not feel right to judge the motivations of his Monarch; even a loner had such impulses. Elsa's sheer position was slowing down his normal brashness. All this he could feel as if by hand, and yet hardly anything had been said.

Either Elsa wanted to know about his romantic past, as well as his past in general, or she was seeking a knowing set of ears regarding her own awkwardness around people. He had seen that quickly. He was oddly good at that. Her background also made that pretty clear to him. Kristoff did not feel confident asking which was which, afraid he might offend. Applying the razor of Occam, he answered the more straightforward question, unsure why he saw the Queen as awkward in that instance.

"I have never felt the need to be around people intimately."

He decided to add to it, as the Queen seemed unmoved by his words.

"Until I met the Princess, of course."

Kristoff watched the queen intently. He severely hoped he was saying the right things. He noticed how neither of them particularly stayed still. He was usually relaxed and aloof, but the latter would be out of touch here. This he somehow knew.

Elsa was beset by an array of different mental conundrums. The first, what to say in response, went passed her. She remembered that the burly man had his eyes set on her Sister.

_Oh, he thinks I'm asking about that..._

Elsa found herself no closer to responding to Kristoff as the harsh seconds ticked by. Her mind was currently going over her current problem of reply. She spoke by reflex, as if turning an hourglass upside down once more to reset herself.

_Buy yourself time._

"Well I am glad you have changed because of her. I hope that this will continue. For the Better"

Kristoff noticed the Queen barely seemed to look at him. Every human instinct told him to ask what was troubling her. She was clearly uncomfortable and he was seeing in her many things he had seen in himself around people. And what she was saying was nothing negative. But he instead remained tight-lipped and rigid, knowing his arbitrary place, and wishing he didn't.

Elsa finally snapped back from her head. Her original plan was dashed. Seeing no way to bring her hoped for discussion back to the table, she wished to end the conversation before she panicked and ran. Every part of her felt restricted with each second as the eyes of a distant viewer seemed to study her very soul.

"I just wanted to set my mind at ease" She almost instructed, trying to compensate for her lack of focus and nervous disposition.

"I think you and Anna will get along, but you must take your time"

_Stop, you're beginning to sound like a mother._

"Of course, after what happened before I'd hate to…do anything…untoward." Kristoff stuttered, not even sure what he meant. The Queens eyes looked shakily into his own. He noticed something. What it was eluded him for a second.

"Now, if you will excuse me"

Elsa then quickly departed, barely gesturing to the correct exit for Kristoff as she did.

The young harvester stood up, stretching his legs. He had seen the Queen afraid. That's what her eyes told his. He was already wishing he could be blunter with his girlfriend's sister, but his social standing told him this wasn't the best idea. He nonetheless did not need to be told that Anna was probably best kept out of whatever this was. It was also most likely the Queen was looking for advice on something.

A problem of her own.

He wished he could talk more and find out what it was he was unaware of, but he saw something else in Elsa's eyes. It was something he had found long ago in himself. A part of the soul that was used to being alone.

There was one final thing he saw.

But the larger picture refused to come together, so Kristoff decided to leave his mind without an answer, for now.

Meanwhile Elsa stood outside the room, cursing to herself.

_It was stupid. Embarrassing. He doesn't know anything about you. _

She stopped and took her breath, ignoring the fact her back was making considerable efforts to kill her from her ill postured nights sleep.

_You aren't good with people, not even with other people who aren't good with people._

_I need to figure out how...to talk to them. _

She halted just short of tears.

_You need to open up and ignore the cold. They are here to help._

_I need to stop feeling so afraid of people._

The queen walked away towards her next engagement, arguing with herself in her head.

_I want to talk but why would they listen...nobody does. They are afraid._

_Arent they?_

She stopped her brisk pace, clutching her left hand towards her center.

_And you burned the only thing that heard you._

On her eyes, tears began to form.

Outside, Princess Anna noticed on the bridge towards the gates that the air had chilled rather abruptly. No frost, no ice.

But the air spoke to her.

_Oh, Elsa…_

**I am a cruel god. My Elsa will probably one day murder me. **

**Review if you wish.**


	4. Questions

"So what did you do?"

"Let me finish."

Anna was relaying what she discovered in Elsa's room in her ninth year. It had been in her mind since the previous night when she found the hunched over Queen. They had made an effort to take their minds off of it and relax, but Elsa was at the centre of their thoughts.

They drew worry from them.

"After id seen Elsa's room, I ran to Mama..."

...

Little Anna ran as fast as her small feet could endure. Elsa's room being empty and unnaturally cold surprised Anna. And scared her.

_Find Mama and see if Elsa's ok._

She couldn't help but find a joy in running. She seldom sat still and it was releasing to let her body move to its full potential. She was forever in motion. Even while sat at the dinner table, her legs wobbled, itching to stand and her hands would fidget, urging her to do something other than the task at hand. Thoughts forming and unforming before they had time to become actions listed her as she sat.

But she found she couldn't indulge herself right now. Not until she had answers. She found her Mother, thankfully not working, in the 'play room'. Essentially a modified sitting room, it was where the family had relaxed before the beginning and after the end of each day. The continued decline of its use was another sign to Anna that things were just not right.

_Good, I have a chance._

"_Anna"_

The Queen noticed Anna's unusual demeanour as she rapidly approached.

"Are you alright?"

"Mama, I have a few questions..." Spluttered Anna, catching her breath.

She left a dramatic pause and put her hands symbolically over her hips. The Queen had to suppress a chuckle. She was so determined for her age.

"Well, out with it then."

Anna played with her hands and rubbed them against each other and clicked her heels. She was racking her head for a question that would get her point across. Child that she was, she knew she wouldn't be taken seriously right away. Adults were stubborn, but she tried to match them at every opportunity. This would not be exceptional to that motivation.

"Why is Elsa not in her room? Is she ok? And why is it"- She stopped at that last part.

_Don't give it ALL away right away._

"Anna..." The queen smiled. Her daughter was worried. It was not the first time. But she'd obviously taken steps of her own. Her first thought was to reprimand Anna, but she tried to repress such a reaction. It wouldn't have the desired effect on a mind like her daughters.

"Your Papa and your sister are busy. She has things to learn and she can't get that done if she is in her room." She explained softly.

"But she did before, didn't she? And why can't I see her? You said she couldn't come out much?" Anna said, her irritation and worry becoming visible.

The Queen was getting agitated, not at Anna, but at the situation in general. Anna wasn't helping, and without her Husband here, Idunn wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want to lie, as the King sometimes preferred, just to make things easier.

"Anna, listen. You're worrying about nothing. Elsa and your father can't be disturbed. But she is fine. She's just not well these days. She's in her room because it is the safest option."

The Queen was worrying herself now, already fearing she had said too much. Anna was an active child physically, but her mind could work fast when prompted and prodded to just the right level. And she may have just prompted to such depths.

"But Maaamaaa..." The Princess wasn't going to quit now.

"Why can't we see her MORE" She shouted at the end, fed up with the explanations of the last few years. Anna wanted to accept the story, that Elsa was ill. But it didn't match up. What could stop them from just not touching when they met? Or simply talking to her physician. She hadn't seen too many of those around. She pouted and tried to look as fierce as possible as her mother began to pace.

_That changed something._

"I miss her, and we never play or anything and I don't know why" she moaned.

"Why does it feel like WE are avoiding HER?" Anna's voice was becoming coarse for its tenor.

The Queen had reached her limit. Her inquisitive child would have to be reprimanded, one way or another.

"Anna, don't raise your voice to me."

Anna groaned. _Mama always does that. What did you expect?_

"Now listen well, girl. You're Sister isn't as she was. She has to stay in her room because she has important things to do and she can't be distracted by 'play'."

The suddenness and coldness of her Mothers words hurt Anna. The emphasis on play made it even more personal. She was upset and her tears were forming now more than ever. She would not give her Mother the last word this time.

"I think you don't know either! But Papa will know? Does he know Mama!?

"ENOUGH!"

The Kings words shook the normally soft room as he straddled the doorway. How much he had heard, neither Woman nor Girl could estimate. He could be cunning in motion. But it mattered little. His temper was spacious but once struck, he became the personification of foaming lava. This they both knew in an instant.

"Anna get to your room NOW!"

Anna fell to tears instantly. She had more she wanted to say, but she couldn't. Not after this. She didn't dare look at him or her Mother. She ran. Out the door she was spat from the room. Rage was overtaking her. Her thoughts flitted towards the idea of running for Elsa, but she did not know where her hermetic sister was. Eventually she was in the gardens. She still didn't stop, even when she couldn't remember why she was there.

The last few moments' interaction played with her mind. It had been silly to ask those questions. It was stupid. A momentary lapse of reason. But it had happened. Now she would never know. Whatever was wrong with Elsa, Anna was to not know. She was filled with a desire to bring the castle apart by will alone. She wanted splinting wood and broken glass. Torn portraits and ripped fibres. Her anger was as red as her hair. And this fire was aimed at herself as well as her parents.

She could hear distressed voices in the distance. Then, soon, she could not.

For the first time in her life, she was enjoying the bright, cold outer silence of the gardens.

...

"You ok?"

Kristoff could see Anna's discomfort and she was hiding some old but persistent tears. He went and hugged her where she sat before either could say much more. She nodded, granting him the move. He had to kneel, as he towered over her while standing.

"Hey, I'm sorry. For making you bring this up."

Anna smiled through glazed eyes. But she did not sob. She was so ethereal when she smiled. It fascinated Kristoff, to notice so many things about one individual he adored. It was new to him.

"It's ok. I just..." She wiped her eyes and let out a shaky breath. "I didn't know what to do. If I'd just known, or went to her instead it might have...I don't know"

Kristoff hated seeing Anna attempt to blame herself. It didn't suit her. She looked frustrated above other things. He felt compelled to try and ease her worry.

"Look, we can't change the past. I know that, because of things in my own life, a few crooked folks I've come across, but that doesn't mean we can't change our present."

He cradled her head. The Princess was finding herself too tired for her own good. Kristoffs words did not feel new, but they helped nonetheless.

"You know now. You have that knowledge. And where there's knowledge, there's power".

Anna smiled up at him. He was a big teddy bear sometimes, in words and, currently, form.

"You should write that down, you know."

Kristoff giggled a little, glad to have raised her mood and his own in the process.

"Someone will have written that already." He snarked.

"Probably."

They snuggled, trying for just a few brief seconds to forget there was a world outside themselves.

"We will help her, y'know" Said Kristoff.

"Mmhmm" Anna was practically asleep.

The night was now very much near. The sun still left a streak of red hue across the sky, but it was now certainly gone. The night hours were to come.

Kristoff set Anna back on her chair. She was still awake, but too exhausted to do much. Kristoff raised himself up from his uncomfortable crouch and strolled to the window. His thoughts were mixing together. He was trying to untether the complexities of the last 2 days.

_You don't get to sit this one out, Kristoff. We've all been alone. Now we don't have to hide. You need to get over yourself. Elsa is reaching out where she can. Its times for you to take her hand and, with Anna's help, pull her out of this gorge. _

He looked back to Anna for a second.

_God i love her. Those eyes..._

Then, quite unexpectedly, Kristoff realised the final thing he had seen in Elsa's eyes earlier. It was an element of her psyche she hid very well, but the circumstance of their awkward chatting that afternoon he had temporarily uncovered that which she normally hid so well. It was another layer to the mystery of the 'Ice Queen'.

Elsa could read people. From what he could recall, she wasn't half bad. He had heard the tale of how the Queen had seen through Hans (According to Anna) when they had first met. Kristoff was inclined to believe her more with this resolution.

She had done it on him as well. She had summoned him alone without so much as a conversation, just a few glances and muttered words when Anna was around over the last couple of days. They had, until then, actually spoken very little. And he knew she and Anna weren't talking as they wished.

Yet the Ice Conjuror had read the Ice Harvester. Thinking on it more and now gripping the window frame in absent-minded mental fervour, The Ice Master and Deliverer made the guess that the Queen did it subconsciously. She was doing it without realising it.

She just lacked the confidence to pull it off and really use it well.

Kristoffs mind began to turn and coalesce.

_Let's bring you out of your cage, Elsa. Set your mind free. _

**Authors Notes: **

**Did you see the Pink Floyd reference?**

**This is the first chapter in any of my works where Elsa does not make an appearance, for those who care.**

**Author's commentary:**

"**Six days? They were four before." I know, i know. I figured I shouldn't let you get used to these updates being every four days as they have been. I can't be sure I'll be able to keep up with that, plus the writer's block with this chapter hasn't helped. Ive overcome it for now, so not to worry. **

**I return to college tomorrow (yay) so that may affect things. We shall see. Review if you can. **


	5. Under The Sun

Kristoff's suggestion of horse riding surprised Elsa. For him to have been so bold. For some reason that she couldn't explain, she knew that it was something he wasn't normally to do. She lay on her bed for what felt like slightly too long to wait. She was so tired.

Her muscles oozed tiredness as the seconds passed. The onerous work was wearing her body but her mind was fresh as it could be. She touched the minutes as they passed, enjoying the rest uneasily. Today was a more endurable one than many.

_A good day. I wish I could savour this._

But the wheel of time steered towards action. She stood up and approached the new and significantly altered door.

"Kai, have my horse groomed and ready. Oh and tell the Ice Master I'll be down in ten minutes."

"Right away ma'am"

And thus she was alone by an abstracted greater amount. She had piles of letters to address and people to meet over the next few weeks. But she was confident in that regard. She'd pull through, as she always did.

Now dressed appropriately, Elsa tip-toed in front of the mirror. She looked into her slightly wrinkled eyes. Wrinkled from a need for sleep that she wouldn't satisfy. She thought of Anna's own features. Always awake and ready to take on the world with a will of steel and a soft heart.

The Queen smiled.

The crease in her face was a true one. Her cheeks followed and her eyes curved. Anna made her forget, even if for a few seconds, of the challenge life brought her.

Nameless it was, and unpredictable.

Her smile faded back into a veil. The wall that kept her silent war silent and her hands steady. The sun was reaching its zenith. It was time.

She breathed deeply.

_Well, let the madness begin._

...

Kristoff had decided not to let position dictate what he was to say. He decided this. The conversation to convince Anna of his intention was a long one he would happily have never had but for its need to be had. Anna was stubborn and Kristoff sarcastic at the best of times.

Thinking of her always loosed his step and sharpened his eyes. What a majestic thing it was. To be that person to another person. To Kristoff, it was all new. This state of being. It made him feel invincible.

Anna had wanted to come along. He sympathised more than he thought he would. But his old business smarts and calculatory faculties were being flexed with Elsa. He enjoyed the challenge and also knew that Anna was not the person for what he had in mind. To help Elsa seemed to him a service, a means of proving himself. And to help her. He wondered, for a second, if he was helping his past self. It hadn't been the first time he had thought that.

_Just don't start craving the challenge._

Anna hugged him and gave him the news that Elsa accepted his request. She quickly departed, work of her own to be done.

"Okay Sven" He said, almost at a whisper. "Let's see what we can do"

Sven looked at his friend with large eyes. Kristoff gave him a knowing look.

"I know"

...

The Queen emerged from the stables onto the open ground. The grass swirled from a pleasant breeze and Elsa took in a long, deep breath as she sat atop her horse. The sense of height temporarily relieved her. The air was apparently thinner here than in some parts of the world. Well, in the mountains. She wondered if her good mood in her ice palace more than 4 days before was due to her head feeling lighter.

_Nope, don't daydream. Come on. Focus._

Kristoff and Sven were soon in view.

"Hi Elsa- I mean, your Majesty."

"It's quite alright Kristoff. Call by my name," Elsa's confidence stepped up just a touch. Maybe it was riding her horse that did it. She couldn't afford to get lost in her own head while moving though. She stared off into the distance for a second to calibrate herself.

Kristoff mounted Sven and for a second the two were aligned.

"May we?"

The Queen looked at him for a long second. Kristoff fought his nerves borne of class and did the same. For that second, each was busy analysing the other. Though only one knew it. They became so entranced in their mental exercise that they each learned precisely nothing.

"We may."

Off they set, the noon sun colouring the open field around them. In Elsa it forced a smile. In Kristoff much the same, though he was uneasy.

They both independently thought of what was to come. The thoughts and words that would be spoken.

_Well, this should be interesting, _thought Kristoff.

Earlier

Princess Anna was seated in front of her table, exhausted. Elsa had made an appearance in the morning, but soon left to work. Parliament, amazingly, wasn't in the mood to run itself. They spoke few words but speak they did.

_Baby steps, _thought Anna.

Afterward she was left to her own devices. She occupied her time by going out to the town, speaking to people and taking in requests and concerns. Anna enjoyed it immensely but from 6 to 9 in the morning it sapped her of energy. It was just too early.

She had returned to the dining room to eat quickly.

She wasn't alone for long until Kristoff, dressed in royal garb he disliked immensely, came through the door. It hadn't been a long process getting him allowed to frequent the castle. A quick stamp from Elsa and a few orders to the guards had set it straight quickly.

"Hey"

"Hey"

He sat down and was handed a plate. He'd been too occupied with thought to ask for anything specific but he was used to eating pretty much whatever was handed to him. His past had a way of wearing him as a robe like that.

They spoke for a little while, about sleep and dreams. They both wished amiably for both. They could feel the previous night laughing at them. But they stayed off the subject for now. Soon they were drifting to other topics. Kristoff was thinking underneath the whole time. His mask was slipping as the conversation drew him out of his shell. Anna, eventually, noticed it. Her lack of tact took him off guard.

"Kristoff, what is it? Your mind is just...well it's not here."

"Sorry I just..." He laughed and rubbed his face.

His face took a semblance of non-chalance with a dash of seriousness. She was to find out eventually and today was probably a worthwhile one to bring it up. As if it differed from the others.

But all things aside, he had things to say. This would be one of them. Time would be taken.

"I have a terrible idea"

...

They were now some distance from the castle and had still not spoken. Elsa was busy trying to keep herself on her horse, her gloves not making this an easy task. The day around them was a nice one. The temperature was calm and the air was gentle. It made Kristoff think of nature. He knew its darker side well, being a wintry worker. But the bright side he didn't see enough of.

Pulling himself from the scenery, his mind turned to the task at hand.

He found himself wanting to stop. He looked at Elsa and saw her mind was entirely focused on riding. She was being distracted and it would serve him little. So he gradually eased off the speed until eventually Sven trod at walking pace. Elsa, though in a jumpy way, did manage to achieve the same end.

_Good, that means she's noticing my presence. She isn't lost in there._

"Elsa, there's something I want to talk to you about"

She instantly put up her guard. Her leg muscles tightened and her hands gripped the reins with intense white skin. Too bad she couldn't see the latter.

"If you'd prefer, ill just talk about what I think might be bothering you and then er...you decide what to say from there..." He finished on a slightly inquisitive note, hoping Elsa would notice.

He was relieved to see her give a slight nod. As he saw her face for that brief second, he found it looking mournfully over the landscape. She was tense. He could tell. But then she cleared her throat, deciding to speak.

"That's fine."

Kristoff took in a breath and begun.

"It's true; I know what it's like to be lonely. Ice harvesters typically travel too much to stay in any one place."

He stopped and looked to his right to find his absent-minded Queen looking slightly more in his direction. She was not one to look people in the eyes much. He continued, swallowing his nerves.

"Most people I spoke to, it was bartering for a night at an inn or some food for me and Sven. Tools. That sort of thing."

She turned her eyes slightly more in his direction. He was glad but still saddened to see she said nothing. He ignored the Queens silence as much as he could.

"Truth is, I didn't like people. I saw the way they treated each other when they had power over one another, or money. They didn't behave. So I kept away."

Elsa was compelled to speak, though only for a brief window. She leapt at it, before that drowning feeling could silence her again.

"People are...a rainbow. They wear different shades of colour on their hearts..."

She was struggling and turned to look down at Sven for a second. To acknowledge at least one individual.

"...Than they do on their hands."

Kristoff was infused mentally from her words. She had an aura of authority in what she said, like she had seen it before. They were...interesting, but she soon wore her mask again, having been more open for that second. Thinking on this, Kristoff decided to continue down his tract.

"Thing is, before I met your sister."

Elsa now looked at him for a third time that day, obviously uncomfortable with the eye contact but determined. Good, that meant she was listening as well as speaking.

Inside, Elsa's soul was unweaving, ever so carefully.

"It was always me and Sven. But I spoke to him to make the quiet days a little less quiet."

Kristoff closed his eyes and briefly shook. This hurt for him to say, but he had to hand Elsa a piece of himself. He turned away from her this time.

"And sometimes, he spoke back. Now I know; he didn't actually talk back but I just knew, without being told that he could hear me."

Elsa looked away and through the corner of his eye, he could see the shimmer of a tear. But he knew better than to point it out. If she wanted him to notice, she'd do it on her own volition.

He breathed out sharply and he spoke up again. He was on, literally, thin ice.

"I think that maybe with your Door, you had something like that"

Elsa hands covered with frost. The mention of the thing was going to freeze her hands inside the gloves. But she concentrated hard on the field ahead of her and ignored the wind that built. She became solid and stationary. She refused to give in now. His words were soothing her and connecting to her.

"But it hurt you and made you...well a little lost. Didn't it?"

Another tear slivered over her cheek. It pained Kristoff to see it.

"I want you to know that she only told me what you did, not why. She doesn't know why."

"Ok" Elsa forced herself to say it, to let him know he was on to something. She wasn't aware how much she had needed to talk, or at least listen to someone and Kristoff was now trying to help, even though had no reason to. It touched her.

"Maybe one day you'll tell us about the Door. But you don't have to"

Kristoff turned Sven around carefully as they traced their way slowly back to the stables. He wasn't going to press her too much further. He could tell she was still reluctant to talk at length for reasons only she knew.

"I think you're afraid to talk to us because you don't know how to."

Elsa sobbed at hearing this, partly from guilt and partly from shock, or whatever Kristoff was making her realise. But she failed to hide it. It was quiet despite the weight of her thoughts and his words. Kristoff ignored her convulsions. She didn't want him to see it. So he did not see it.

"You may wonder how I guessed that. Let's just say, I notice things in people and perhaps I shouldn't. Little things."

Elsa's eyes took on a slightly darker look through the watery make-up. She was curious.

"And I know you are afraid not just because of your powers, but because you feel like you're being judged. Like there's eyes watching you."

She gasped. Kristoff turn to look at her and found reddened eyes. He was on the right track, but it bothered him that he was so right about someone he had only observed and spoken to once. It felt vaguely wrong.

"Anna and I will never judge. We won't rush you, or ask you to talk more than you want to.

Elsa cracked a smile and tried to look at him. The gesture was enough to tell him that this was a good note to end on.

"But this lonely commoner won't go on. You'll be getting bored"

He smiled himself now. His sense of humour largely for his own benefit.

The Queen spoke more words as they approached the stables. She hadn't spoken many today. But it was her thousandth thought.

"Let's get back. I feel better"

She didn't regret the words right away, which told her good things.

They remained silent after that, each a little happier than when they had departed.

Feeling momentarily exhilarated by Kristoff's deep caring of her, which he had shown in his own monologing way, she let him know he had helped.

"Every day, it gets a little easier."

Kristoff turned to her, beholding the beautiful woman for all she was. This little family of theirs was a gift to be part of.

"We're here to make it a little better"

**Authors Notes: Theres another more subtle Pink Floyd reference here. Well, technically two. Let me know if you find it.**

**Authorrs Commentary:**

**Yipee! This was an undeniable challenge but i liked it more as it went on to be honest. Kristoff is a character I'm still getting to grips with. But he's surprisingly interesting to write. So that's good.**

**Please review if you can. Thank you.**


	6. A Trigger

**If something is underlined, it's a change of either time or perspective. Which one it is I will of course tell you. **

Elsa stumbled. She knew something was wrong. Then, suddenly, she knew the dark too well.

Earlier

Anna had been dying to see the result of the 'chat' Kristoff and Elsa had had. He came to her with a subtle smile. She even saw Elsa. Waving to the figure just out of earshot, she felt herself beaming. The sun light was admiring the Queen beautifully. Her face, half covered with shadow, practically sparkled.

Then Elsa waved back and Anna turned around, unable to hide her smile. Elsa had gone slightly away from them, to her own stable. Kristoff hardly noticed. Anna was in view and he found himself unable to look right at her. It was as if his eyes were an offense to use around her. It was a wonderful sunlit day, but without her, he speculated, it would be a waste of time. He wrapped his arms around her as they awkwardly walked away, smiles pasted on both of them.

"Do you think she's getting better?"

Kristoff wasn't expecting the question, but replied anyway. He wanted to remember it without ambiguity.

"Well, she isn't exactly getting worse. She says she's finding things a little easier."

Anna kept smiling. Her face was going to break at this rate. She had more to say, but she wished to savour every second. They walked wordlessly through the halls, to nowhere in particular. Then Anna stopped by the portrait room. Something had caught her active eyes.

"What is it?"

"Nothing it's just...I could swear there were more paintings in here"

She walked over to one light shade of wall, perplexed. Kristoff stopped in the middle of the room.

_I always liked this one. _"I guess Elsa wanted them put elsewhere, huh?" 

"Well, I guess so." Anna laboured, thinking on it.

"But Kristoff, you're sure she's ok?"  
>He sighed. He honestly wasn't sure. But he didn't want Anna to worry<p>

"She is ok right now"

Elsa Pov

She felt better. Darkness was there, as it always was. But she felt better. Her chest felt less constricted. Her teeth hurt less from eternally being clenched.

She had made a gradual motion away from Kristoff towards her stable. He did not protest. She still held a breath as she did, afraid to offend. Off her horse, she waited and found the duo was now well in the castle.

_Those hopeless romantics. How cute. _

The Queen stayed around. The world of work, negotiation and, she was increasingly noticing, men, was not one she wished to clammer back to. The castle could wait.

She grinned absently and, for a moment, she was lost to the sea-scape in the distance. The view wasn't one many got to see from up here. The waves had her eyes, in colour and attention. The water was at first calming. It seemed to take her away. Away from Arendelle. Out in the ocean. The cold, chaotic force that ran the world. Always in stable motion. Then she briefly peered to the ships. The way they rocked in the bay, it was reminding her. Of what she wasn't sure. Then Elsa's eyes yawned open.

_Waves. Ships, the sea!_

She tore herself away, startled.

She walked away in the same direction she had entered the grassland, heading into the castle. Her thoughts were getting briefer. The motion of the waves was still with her somehow.

_How is that? My ears feel strange._

The sun was playing with the ice queen and the heat attacked her skin. Suddenly she itched all over, still walking, almost running as she exited the stables. Whatever had just happened, it was only the beginning. She was getting anxious.

_Panic is not your friend. _

The water was forming again. The water that breached her mind at the worst moments. The water that made her flee. She clung to the happy thoughts from ten minutes before, but they were getting thinner. As was the air. She could see nothing rather speedily. Her vision was already affected. No walls, just a single point ahead of her was all she could see. It changed in form and direction, but it was her artery through the flesh of her current conundrum.

Kais face temporarily entered her consciousness.

"...Your majesty?..."

She kept walking, not even registering him.

The waves. They were crashing against her forehead. She could feel it. Her feet were shaking.

Abruptly her parents entered her thoughts. Screaming at her.

_No. I told you. Leave me alone!_

But her grief, long stifled or diluted, was piercing her now. It was The Door all over again.

_THE SHIPS! The trigger! You fool. _

She could no longer discern her means of motion, but her study room was ahead now. Her feet were shouting timber to her brain, but she was still there. Still juttering and stammering forward.

_Just focus on that. Only that._

But chance had other plans.

She vaguely saw Anna and Kristoff down the hall. They were not far away. Their faces a painting to Elsa.

The waves were moving through her now. In her whole body, she could feel it. The air an ocean of imbalance. Wave upon wave of daggers were hitting her. She could feel the pins of ice under her skin, responding to her fear. In a second she had looked down, to find a miasma of tiny holes in her arms, still white as milk. She looked up again, now wishing to run.

_It's going to happen again. The eternal winter._

A brief, white hot flash of sanity hit her. She looked to them, then to the door of the study. The study was closer, down and to the right. But she knew she didn't have long. Whatever she had done to herself, it didn't need much more. Her balance had been getting steadily worse. That much was clear. Her perceptions were eroding too because the walls weren't talking.

But the clock was.

_What? a clock?..__**No**__._

With that, the flash died away. But it was still smouldering at the back of her brain.

She took a stubborn step straight ahead, ignoring everything but the two people in front of her. She nearly fell. All her old signs were there. She would get tired, maybe weep or freeze over for a while. Then the strain would collapse her and in a moment she would trip. All through it the clock would mock. Then she'd pass out. That cavernous space on the other side of time was one she was too used to. But this time, unlike all the others, she was ready.

_Click._

The clock was playing with her mind once again. Tracking her misery. She hated them. Always had. Ever since she was 12, she had hated clocks. They staggered her conscious and attenuated whatever made her go wrong. Not this time.

_Go to them. Go to Anna._

Suddenly Kristoff and Anna's faces saw hers, looking straight ahead down an endless corridor. But what Elsa found was an endless river. Her forward foot was barely supporting the nervous creature attached to it.

The waves were now moving with the clock. She wasn't sure she was breathing anymore. Her eyes grew weak.

_All this, for a vision that had barely lasted a moment._

She was stationary, hesitation clear in her features. She felt heat on her hands that wasn't there before.

Looking to them, the former white holes were now dots of red. They quickly became a stream.

Her blood was spilling onto her hands. To Elsa, it may as well have been water.

_Better than letting it all go and freezing everything again._

Anna was getting closer. Running. It was the strangest thing to see. It reminded her of the last time.

Elsa ran too. Her feet were glorified sticks at this point but she ran them as far as she could. She could see Anna's face now. Kristoff wasn't far behind her. She could see the red heads freckles. But the water in her head; now it was everywhere. Every inch of Elsa's world had met the liquid misery.

She was drowning. Her feet tumbled. And she followed. She found the floor, but was slightly glad.

_At least I went the right way this time..._

Then there was nothing but the dark. She felt the warmest of hands around the back of her head. Elsa could hear voices, their voices, but they were only coming through in waves.

_Papa. Mama. Why?_

**Authors commentary:**

**This chapter's direction was partly influenced by Pink Floyds "The Wall". There are some references throughout, though I don't want to make them too obvious. Just listen to the album if you wish to, tis worth it.**

**Authors Notes:**

**My output will likely remain at this level to the end of this story. I also should make clear that I'm unsure when this story's ending. But, like before, I already know what the last line will be.**

**This chapter also makes references to my previous story "The Door". Again it is not required reading but those who have read it; a review would be nice if you can spare the time. If not thanks all the same. Any reviews are appreciated as i wish to improve myself.**

**Moving Forward.**


	7. Persistence

Her creamy body was twitching all over. Her conscious and unconscious selves were struggling internally.

Anna was a picture. Kristoff evily wished there was an artist who could capture, in that moment, how the princess looked. Her face was an admixture of concern, fear and worry. That a face could present so much for another person was a testament to the power of caring. And also the power of the dark side of the mind. To fear

The moonlight they were both grateful for. But Kristoff was getting nowhere fast with Anna.

"Are you sure you aren't coming to bed?"

Anna looked up at him, face unchanged and affirmed a 'no' with a clear pace of thought he could only guess at. Anna was not moving, even if he wanted her to.

Kristoff sighed, defeated by his girlfriend again. He'd made passing comments to rest all evening but he had gotten not too far. They had spoken more with the attending Physician, an American from the new world.

He recommended rest and something to eat when the Queen awakened.

Kristoff began to wonder why nobody studied the mind like they did the body.

"I realise now what painting was missing. The one from the portrait room"

"Which was it?"

Anna turned upwards, deep in thought.

"If I remember, it was of a ship. Called the Boreas"

"Boreas? thats...familiar..."

Anna nodded knowingly. "A ship from Arrendelles navy praised as one of the greatest. Nowadays people mainly know it from the stories written about it."

Kristoff smirked as little as he could. This was something he actually had read, years ago. His pride embarrassed him a little. He wasn't a very good reader, barely able to transcribe the alphabet from memory.

"Yeah, they were good stories. Written by..." He was at a loss, but was mostly pleased to have Anna distracted from the bedridden Queen. The fact it distracted him made the noises all the better to clear his head.

Anna was still on point, as ever, years of tutelage not entirely lost on her.

"The author is unknown. All we know is they were 'a master of trickery-

"A Trickmaster" Kristoff butted in, trying to seem smart.

Anna continued; "yes, and they gave their age as 42"

Anna was brought down again, coming back to her original point before Kristoff could keep her going.

"That painting of the Boreas, that's the one that's missing. I'll bet if I ask Gerda she'll tell me Elsa had it taken away."

Kristoff had already deduced why she had, but asked Anna anyway, to see if she knew. Feigning ignorance wasn't something he liked to do, but he needed Anna alert to her sisters evident phobias.

"But why just that painting? There are dozens in there. And they were obviously valuable."

He had miscalculated, as Anna's eye roll told him he was sounding too materialistic for his own good.

"I think, the ship reminds her of our parents. Of how they died." Anna consciously moved her left braid behind her ear. She was slightly agitated, he could see it.

"I'm sorry" Kristoff was feeling vaguely pathetic. The candle lit room was doing a terrible job of reflecting the moods of its current inhabitants.

"Stop apologising. I don't expect you to walk around me like eggshells. So don't. Please." The ginger was now getting angry. He could guess it wasn't at him. Who it was aimed for, he couldn't surmise. He whipped himself when he realised Anna had again noticed his 'thinking' look.

"What do you do when you stare off like that?"

Kristoff knew he was on the spot and was now, to his annoyance, definitely treading on some very hot eggshells.

"Like what?"

Anna was peering into him, as if trying to peel his skin back and see beyond it. Kristoff's wooden chair creaked beneath him with arrogance as he leaned slightly back, giving her an inch of compromise.

She didn't quite bite.

"Whenever we speak about Elsa, or her issues, or really anything for long enough, you do this look. Like there's something behind me. And you don't react when I look to see what it is."

Then her face softened and its features became more curved. Studying her took some effort, her beauty got in the way for him.

"Well I am ..."

"Are you ok? Is there something we need to think or talk over?"

He giggled, nervously now. "I just think, a lot." He was still doing it and began to understand Elsa's difficulties. When people could see what went on in your mind, you felt exposed.

_Kristoff, clear it out._

"People think all the time. About all sorts of things. But you always seem to be trying too hard. Like your brain is a gun or something, waiting to be set off."

Kristoff's first instincts told him to lie or redirect the conversation. Yeasrs of experience concurred with him. But warmer feelings reneged him.

_You will not lie to her. She is your closest friend and partner. You will not lie. She is not some trader or drunkard walking into the snow._

"Kristoff". She wished she had been louder, but she feared waking Elsa.

Kristoff shifted with evident discomfort, but he knew what was to be said.

"I think about...you and Elsa. I think about us. We three. We face a lot and I'm trying to...figure out a way through the storm, I guess. I want to help."

_Oh, you're Shakespearian, you are. _Kristoff struggled not to curse himself.

His words were laced with a kind of shakiness that a crook would show an unforgiving militiaman. The wood around the room's walls was keeping his voice compact, which only added to the effect.

Anna turned away, her braid licking over the candle. She didn't notice. The shadows covered them both in some way while Elsa lay with resound light all around her. Anna saw this effect for herself. Taking in her siblings' silent form reminded her of what this was about.

"Kristoff, if you feel like you need to consider us in this, maybe it would be best if you told us? I mean, who has a better grasp of our situation than me and, most of all, Elsa?"

Her logic was sound, but Kristoff wanted to show her the third path of mind he always drudged through. He made his face a mask for that moment, hoping she wouldn't see it.

"But you think too forwardly about it all, Anna. You think there's one way, and only one way, to get Elsa better. To make her talk to you."

_Careful._

Anna had her attention on him. She wouldn't let a misspoken word be easily passed her now.

"But it's not just that. She has nervousness. She's fearful. She wants to run away and hide. Look, I know what it's like to be an outsider. And I see it in her. She wants to be closer to you, Anna, she really does. But she doesn't know how."

Anna was clasping her hands, keeping something down that he had a feeling he wouldn't welcome.

Her voice was low, to hide her emotion.

"Kristoff, I think I see the problem here. I hardly know you"

Kristoff felt slightly insulted. That bruised him a little more than it should have. "You know me. I'm Kristoff, ice harvester, snarky...smells...lived with Trolls."

But Anna motioned him to stay quiet. "No, that's now. How did you get to be here?" Why do you think you can just muscle in and help someone you've known less than a week? What do you have that I don't and she does that you believe means you can relate?"

The Princess was perpetually fiddling with her braid. She was anxious and had every right to be.

Kristoff was now filled with guilt. She was right. Of course she was. What right did he have to do this all in his own head?

_People are not puzzles. They are People._

"Anna, she and I aren't the same. She's afraid of people, of herself. I just don't like people. Or didn't anyway."

Anna huffed with impatience. "But why?" Her childhood frustrations were serving her in the now.

"Why do they get to you? Why don't you run away and hide? What makes you feel so empathetic to us? I just want to know. I want to learn more about you."

She was getting inquisitive now, her voice evening out. Kristoff did not get a chance to enjoy such relief. He knew what this meant. Something he had been holding in his breath for years. Yet he had never seemed to suffocate the old voice he used to speak with.

He held out his hand. She took it, with a pinch of questioning about her.

_You have such persistence._

"If I tell you, I'm telling you something about my past. It will take a while." Kristoff hoped she would be dissuaded but it was pointless. She remained on the topic and was not in any mood to give ground.

"Tell me what I want to know and ill decide if your approach to Elsa works. Because you've spoken to her twice, and each time it's led to something like this."

They both looked at Elsa, still away from them in her mind. It was strange how you could become so attached to someone's issues that you forgot they lay right in front of you. Both Man and Woman noticed this with some clarity.

Anna was putting him on the line. This went deeper than just Elsa. She had found a way to crack him open and measure his mind and soul.

He had to admire the princess' ability to put him in a corner like she had.

"Well, I guess I'll start at the start..."

The whole night it took, as Kristoff handed Anna a piece of his soul. The candle went out with no notice, and the two of them shivered and shifted as Kristoff's life was unfurled with a mess of humour and self-deprecation.

Elsa's eyes pried themselves open. But she remained still.

**Authors notes:**

**Apologies for such lateness, ive been working at college and also trying to keep some engagements. So i haven't had the time i usually had. But im not quitting, don't worry.**

**Authors Commentary:**

**A certain other fan fiction has been referenced here (Not one of mine). I sense only one person will get it though. **


End file.
